Testing: What is a benchmark test?

Benchmark tests are just screeners. They are given to students at their grade level, three times a year, to see where they are academically compared to other students in their own grade. They do not tell you what grade your student is performing at, just if they are performing on-grade with their peers or not.

With benchmark tests, you are looking to see if your students are performing at or below the 50th percentile, on-grade, and need assistance. These tests do not tell you what grade a student is functioning at. That can be determined by administering the various grades of progress monitoring measures.

Students that are performing on or above the 50th percentile need no extra assistance until the next benchmark testing period. For those students performing below their grade, the progress monitoring measures should be goven, along with guided instruction, in order to assist their growth in a given subject area.